Kendrick Peak is located northwest of Flagstaff and is a stand-alone
volcanic mountain 10,413 feet high. Access to the mountain is from SR 180
that leads from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon. The hike starts below 8000'
and has an elevation gain of +-2700'. Total round trip distance is 9 miles.
Please see prior trip reports for more information.
Note that the monsoon has been very active in July so plan for showers.
The Kendrick Peak Trail, originally built to maintain the Forest
Service’s fire lookout tower on the peak, is the easiest of three
trails to the summit of Kendrick Peak, the second highest mountain
(outside of the San Francisco Peaks) in northern Arizona.
This is a well-graded, scenic trail up the forested slopes of Kendrick
Peak and rewards the hiker with spectacular views from the summit.
The first 1.25 miles of the Kendrick Peak Trail follows the original
fire road, before giving way to a foot trail. The trail is almost
entirely uphill, gaining 2,418' of elevation before reaching the
summit, as it continually switchbacks up through forests of ponderosa
pine, Douglas fir, and aspen, as well as open meadows of bracken
ferns and wildflowers (if we are really lucky). Evidence of the May,
2000 Pumpkin Fire, which burned nearly 15,000 acres, can be seen
along the trail.
Approximately 1/4 mile from the summit, the trail reaches a saddle,
where there is an old fire lookout, built in 1912. It was occupied
until the 1930s, when the new lookout was built on the summit.
The old cabin house is furnished with two cots for overnight hikers.
The Bull Basin Trail, which climbs the north face of the mountain,
connects with the Kendrick Mountain Trail at this saddle. Continue
up the trail to the summit lookout via Kendrick Mountain Trail.
There is no water on this trail,
and lightening can be a threat in the summer.
Your reward for reaching the summit is a possible visit inside the
lookout tower and stunning views of the San Francisco Peaks,
dominating the skyline to the east. On a clear day, the Grand Canyon
and the Vermilion Cliffs can be seen to the north. Oak Creek Canyon
and Mingus Mountain can be located to the south, while Bill Williams
and the Sitgreaves Mountains can be spotted to the west. The hundreds
of old volcanoes and cinder cones scattered throughout the area are
testimony to the violent volcanic history of this region, known as
the San Francisco Volcanic Field.